Combined automatic trap and damper control for steam-heating systems.



P. J KELLY. COMBINED AUTOMATIC TRAP AND DAMPER CONTROL FOR STEAM HEATINGSYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED NARA, 1912.

Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

women cOLuMB A I'LANUOMAPN C0,, WASHINGTON, n u,

PATRICK J. KELLY, OFDENVER, COLORADCL.

COMBINED AUTOMATIC TRATPi-ANI) DAMPER CONTROL FOR STEAM-HEATING SYSTEMS.

1,059,302. 7 l spwificetionofIlettersPatenh. PatentedApr.15,1913;

Application filed March 4, 1912. Serial No. 681,424.

To all whom it'mag concern: Be it; known that I,IPh'rn1o1c; J. IQELLY,

citizen of the United States, residing in :the

city and county of Denver 1 and State of Colorado, have inventedcertain: new and useful Improvements in'a Combined Automatic Trap andDamper Control for Steam- HeatingSystems; andI do declare the fol lowingto be afull, clear and exact descriptionof the invention, such as willenable.

others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make andusethelsame,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the charactersof reference marked thereon which form a partof this specific-a tion.

My invention relates tola combined automatic trap and damper control forsteam heatingsystems, my objectbeing to prevent, the water in theboilers of steam-heating a systems from passing upwardly into the As thesteam rushes fromthe boiler into the.

pipes, a partial vacuum1is produced causing the water to rise and enterthe pipes to a greater or less extent. This water is carried along bythe steam and wherever there is a turn or an abrupt bend inthe pipes,the

water strikes with considerable force, producing a noise resemblingpounding; upon the pipes. Not only are noisesproducedin the pipes by thewater as aforesaid, but this, water also carries impurities into thepipes, such as grease and sand, which also lodge in the radiators andother parts of the systern, causingmuch'trouble as well as wear upon thepipes and valves; Furthermore, it. often happens that the water iscarried out. 30f the boiler into the pipe system on the in-:

let side to such an extent that the water falls sufficientlyin theboilertoal'low. a considerable area thereof to become red-hot, or

heated to such an extent that the return iwater to the boiler throughthe return pipe will result-in cracking the boiler sections or inproducing explosions. Explosions from: this cause have sometimesresulted. not only in the destruction of property but also :in; loss oflife. As the return .water, whiohlis practically cold, rises in theboiler and comes in contact with the red-hot areas of tl1e1at-1 i ter aresult as heretofore stated follows, similar to thatproduced by turningcold water into ahot empty boiler.

My object is to overcome this difficulty and when my improved device isemployed for this particular purpose, it is mounted in close proximityto the boiler, preferably directly above the same, or atone sidethereof, 1 as may be desired. Provision is made whereby, before thewater can enter i the pipes of the system, it enters a trap in which islocated afloat As the water fills the trap, the float rises and closes avalve which cuts 3 off communication between the boiler aud t-he 1 pipesof the systenn Thestemof the float-l operated ivalve is connectedthrough the in-: strumentalityof a lever and chains or other suitableflexible devices, with a damper, the connection being such that when thefloat-1 operated Ivalve closes to cut off water communication betweenthe boiler and the pipes of the system, the damper will also be closed ito cut off the draftof the furnace or fire 1 box used in connection withthe boiler. The a return pipe is equipped witha check valve 1 to preventthe direct escape of water from 1 the boiler into this pipe when thevalve (hereinafter explained) is closed on them-1 5 leteside of thesystem, whereby there is. an 1 increase of pressure in the boiler which1 otherwise might result in the passage of water directly from theboiler to the pipes of T the system through the return pipe.

My improved construction is arranged to operate in harmony with adamper-regu-a lator of the expansion class the said regu lator being. ofthe bellows form and arranged. to expand as the temperature of theboiler 5 rises. This regulator also acts upon the same lever that formsa part of the dampen control in my improvement, butthe two may operateentirely independently of each other;

For instance,the expansioneregulator con-11001 structed on the bellowsprinciple depends 1 entirely upon the steam pressure in the system.

for 1 its operation to open and close the damper. On the contrary, in myimprovement the water :may act upon the float in:

the trap \toqclose the valve and close the. damperbefore the steampressureissufii -l cient to act upon the expansion-regulator to closethe damper.

My improved trap is interposed between:

the boiler and the inlet for steamlto the sy stern, and is sufficientlysensltive to i be op erated by a comparatively small amount'of; water onits way to the pipes of the system Having briefly outlined my improvedcon struction I will proceed to describe thesame l in detail,'referencebeing made ,to the accom an in drawinoin which is illustrated anembodiment thereof.

In this drawing: Figure 1 is a side GlEVEL".

. tion of a boiler equipped with my improveinent.

Fig. 2' is a vertical section taken through the trap, the parts beingshown on a larger scale- Fig. 3 is a similar view taken at right anglesto Fig.2.

' The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of theviews.

Let-f-the numeral 5 designate a trap or receptacle} for water which,as-illustrated in the 'drawi-ng, is supported above the boiler shown atC whereby the water of 'condensation, as well as any water which mayhave accumulated in'the trap during theoverflow from. the boiler,isidrained back into the lower portion of the latter.

7 Above the trap 5 and in communication therewith by a relatively largeopening D is a casingE in which is located a disk valve 9, this valvebeing mounted ona stem 10 journaled in the casing, the stem passingthrough a stuffing-box atone side of the casing whereby a. steam andwater-tight joint is formed.

I 015 the latter.

The stem 10 where it extends through the stu fling-box'F has itsouterextremity connectedflby means of a crank-arm 12 with a chain 13,the said chain being connected at its lower extremity as shown at Grwith one arm of a lever 14, which is fulcrumed :as shown at H F0111 anexpansion-damperregulator 17, connected with the water of the boilerwtobe controlled by the temperature The opposite arm of the lever isconnected as shown at I with a chain furnace as shown at J. I

From the :foregoing' description 15which leads, to a damper 16 hinged totheit i will be understood that if the ,water rises from thejboilerthrough'the pipes 18, on its way to the pipes of the steam-heatingsystem, it

. must "first enter the trap 5 carrying float 8. As the water fills thistrap the floatwill rise and by virtue of its'connection with thedisk-valve 9, will close the latter and cut off communication betweenthe trap and the" casing E,'--and -consequently cut off 'comisinterposed between the trap and the said pipes." Asthe valve closes, apartial rotary return pipe 21.

movement is imparted to thestein'll) whereby the crank 12 is actuated tolift one arm of the lever 14: and depress the other arm,

the depressed arm being connected with' the damper whereby the latter isallowed to close by gravity, Ordinarily this damper will be closedthrough the medium of the valve 9 before the expansion damper-regulatorwould act to close .the damper. In any event, the two devices work incomplete harmony and may operate either in conjunctionor independentlyof each other.

In order to successfully carry out my improvement, it is in every wayadvisable, if

not absolutely necessary, that the, return pipe 21 be equipped justoutside of the boiler with a check-valve 22, which, while allowing 3 thewater of condensation to return freely to the boiler from the pipe 21,is arranged; to prevent the escape of water from the boiler directlyinto the pipe 21. This is exceed-f ingly important since,'when the valve9 is,

water and steam are concerned. Hence, with the check valve from the pipe21, there would be nothing to prevent the water,un der the increased.pressure in the boi:ler,from escaping into the pipesystem through theHaving thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination in a steam heating" system comprising the boiler, itsfireebox and the pipes of the system, of a trap in communication withthe'top of the boiler, a valve interposed between the trap and the steamsupply pipes of the system, a float located within the trap, a damperconnected in operative relation with the float ofthe trap, substantiallyas described. I

2. The combination with a boiler, its fire-- box and the pipes of asteam-heatingsystem, of a trap-in communication with the topofthe boilerby pipes enteringthexupper part of the trap, a float within the trap, avalve {casing located above the trap and incommunication therewith atthe bottom, said casing being in communication at. the top I with thepipes of the system, a floatlocated' in the trap, a valve located in thecasing above the trap, the float having a stem connected with the valveto close the latter as the float rises in thetrap, a stemupon which 'thevalve is mounted, the said stemextending beyond the valve casing, alever suitably fulcrumedin proximity to. the boiler, anop- .erativeconnection between the said stem and;

cut off the draft, substantially as, described' 3. The combination withasteam-heating system comprising a boiler, the furnace thereof and thepipes ofthe system, of a,

trap in communicationtwith the top of the boiler, a float locatedinisaid trap, a valve casing mounted above the trap and in com:munication therewith, said casing being also in communication with :thesteamusupply pipes of the system, and a valvelocated in the casing andconnectedin operative relation with the float whereby the valve isclosed wheneven water rises intothe trap.

4. Thecombination with a steam-heating system, comprising a, boiler, thefurnace thereof having a damper and pipes of the system, of a trap incommunication with the top of the boiler, a float located in said trap,a valve casing mounted above the trap and in communication therewith,said casing being also in communication: with the steam supply pipes ofthe system, a valve located in the casing and connected in operativerelation with the float, the said valve having a stem extending beyondthecasingand an operative connection between the valve stem and thedamper of the boiler furnace,whereby if the valve is closed the damperwill be actuated, substantially as described.

5. The combinationwith a,b0i1er,,its furnace, and the pipes of asteam-heating; sys- Gopies of this patentmay be obtained for tem, of atrap in connection with the top of the boiler, a valve interposedbetween said trap and the steam supply pipes of the system, and meansconnected with said valve and adaptedto be acted upon by the rising; ofwater within the trap for closing said, valve.

6. In a combined automatic trap and dame,

per control for steam-heating systems, the combinationzwith the boiler,its furnace and the pipes of the system, of a trap interposed:

between the boiler and the steam supply pipes of the system, a floatlocated inasaid trap, a valve connected with the float for cutting,ofi'i communication between the boiler and the steam supply pipes when,waterrisesinto said trap, a damper connected with theifurnace and inoperative con: nectionbetween the valve and the damper whereby, as thevalve is actuated through the medium of the float, a correspondingmovement is imparted to the damper.

7. The combination with a furnace, the

boiler and the steam supply pipes of a,

steam-heating system, of a trap, the top of which is in communication,with the ,upper: portion of the boiler, a float in said trap, a,

valve, casing interposed between said trap and the steam supply pipes ofthe system,

an operative connection betweensaid float and valve :whereby the, valveis closed when water risesint-o said trap,and a retum pipe from thebottom of said trap to the boiler. In testimonywhereof I aflix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

PATRICK J. KELLY] Witnesses A. J OBRIEN, F. E. BownN.

fivecents each, by addressing the Commissioner of, Patents, Washington,D. 0.,

